Remember Me When This You See

by Lillian Morrison

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1961

About the author

Lillian Morrison's interest in poetry resulting from playing rhyming games with her friends such as jump rope and patty cake. As an adult, she wanted to make poetry fun and accessible for children. In her quest to become a writer, she earned one of her bachelor's degrees at Rutgers University in New Jersey and then another at Columbia University in New York.

She worked for many years at the New York Public Library in young adult services and was recognized as the recipient of the American Library Association's Grolier Award in 1987 for her contributions to stimulating the interests of young people through reading. She was particularly interested in folk rhymes, outdoor sports, dance, jazz and film, saying, "I love rhythms, the body movement implicit in poetry, explicit in sports--I am drawn to athletes, dancers, drummers, jazz musicians, who transcend misery and frustration and symbolize for us something joyous, ordered, and possible in life."

She spent nearly fifty years working at the New York Public Library and, during this time, also served as a lecturer at the schools where she developed her education, Rutgers and Columbia Universities.

Reviews

[Einar Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s funny to me how some of the poems in this book now (can) have different meanings.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was doing some cleaning last week and came across this book. I have very little from my childhood besides this ... according to what I'd written in the inside cover, I'd got it in the spring of 1973 (I would have been 11).

Remember autograph books? They were all the rage when I was young and this book was full of verses for them. I had the autograph book for many years but it got accidentally tossed out during a move about 25 years ago.

The verses were short and it would be something to write in someone's autograph book. Some were silly, some were cute.

Roses are red
Lilies are white;
Here is my autograph
To prove I can write.

Now I lay me down to rest,
I pray I pass tomorrow's test;
If I die before I wake,
It's one less test I'll have to take.

Ashes to ashes,
Dust to dust,
You're one friend,
That I can trust.

Be cool, don't be a fool,
Go on to high school.

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.

Then after you'd written your verse, you would sign off with something like ...

* Yours till ice screams.
* Yours till the pillow cases go to court.
* Yours till hens lay soft-boiled eggs.
* Yours till the river Seine becomes insane.

Yes, it was a different time back then! Ha!

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2019/07...

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was a kid! I think it was my sister's book. It's fun things to write in autograph albums. I had an autograph album but I was the only one I knew who had one so I couldn't write clever things in my own album. Still, this was fun.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so inane but it's so charming!